Thursday, November 19, 2015

Today in History for Nov. 19, 2015

James A. Garfield

Nov. 19, 1493 – Christopher Columbus went ashore on an
island he first saw the day before. He named it San Juan Bautista. It was later
renamed Puerto Rico.

Nov. 19, 1703 – After 34 years of imprisonment, the “Ancient
Prisoner,” who inspired “The Man in the Iron Mask,” died in the Bastille Prison
in Paris, France. He was buried in a nearby churchyard under a false name.

Nov. 19, 1776 - Congress pleaded for the states to send more
soldiers to serve in the Continental Army, reminding them “how indispensable it
is to the common safety, that they pursue the most immediate and vigorous
measures to furnish their respective quotas of Troops for the new Army, as the
time of service for which the present Army was enlisted, is so near expiring.”

Nov. 19, 1778 - New Jersey became the eleventh state to
ratify the Articles of Confederation.

Nov. 19, 1794 – The United States and the Kingdom of Great
Britain signed Jay's Treaty, which attempted to resolve some of the lingering
problems left over from the American Revolutionary War.

Nov. 19, 1818 - A year before Alabama became a state, the
town of Athens in Limestone County, was incorporated. It was chosen to be the
seat of Limestone County in March 1819. The county was created from former
Chickasaw and Cherokee Indian lands ceded to the
United States in 1816.

Nov. 19, 1819 – A town plat map for Coffeeville, Ala. was
drawn up, and the state legislature approved articles of incorporation for
Coffeeville six days later.

Nov. 19, 1831 - James Garfield, the 20th President of the
United States, was born in Moreland Hills, Ohio.

Nov. 19, 1845 – Poet and short-story writer Edgar Allan Poe
published “The Raven and Other Poems.” The 100-page volume sold for 31 cents,
and Poe was invited to recite the poem in dimly lit parlors, reading in an
otherworldly voice that titillated the guests.

Nov. 19, 1861 – The “Monroe Rebels” were mustered into the
Confederate Army in Montgomery as part of Co. E of the 23rd Alabama Infantry.

Nov. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Round
Mountain, Indian Territory.

Nov. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Wirt Court
House, West Virginia.

Nov. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Fairfax
Courthouse, Va.

Nov. 19, 1862 - Union General Ambrose Burnside and his army
arrived at Falmouth, Va. His decision to move across the Rappahannock River was
delayed until the end of the month because pontoon bridges had not arrived.

Nov. 19, 1862 – Under the cover of foul weather, Capt.
Raphael Semmes guided the CSS Alabama out of Martinque, where it had been
blockaded in by the USS San Jacinto, which was under the command of Commander
William Ronkendorff.

Nov. 19, 1863 – In front of several hundred people, U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln delivered his two-minute “Gettysburg Address” as he
dedicated a 17-acre national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield
in Pennsylvania. The speech was only 272 words long, and it was the only
speech, other than his inaugural addresses, that Lincoln gave during his entire
presidency. Today, the words of the Gettsyburg Address are carved into a wall
of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C

Nov. 19, 1893 - The first newspaper color supplement was
published in The Sunday New York World.

Nov. 19, 1895 – On this Tuesday night, while the family of
Mr. Jas. A. Brady was eating supper at Brady’s residence near Puryearville, an
unknown burglar entered the residence and stole a trunk containing “quite a sum
of money” and other valuables. Later, the trunk was found about 200 yards from
the house, broken open with about $75 in cash missing. Israel Davison was
arrested on suspicion of having committed the crime.

Nov. 19, 1895 – According to The Monroe Journal, Henry Gray
shot and seriously wounded Joe Kyle during an argument on this Tuesday evening
at J.H. Tucker’s residence. Kyle accused Gray of stealing 50 cents from him,
which Gray denied and threatened to shoot Kyle if he repeated the accusation.
Kyle unwisely did so, and Gray shot him with a shotgun before fleeing the
scene.

Nov. 19, 1899 – Poet and novelist Allen Tate was born in
Winchester, Ky. Tate is best known for his long poem “Ode to the Confederate
Dead,” (1928).

Nov. 19, 1907 – Western novelist Jack Shaefer was born in
Cleveland, Ohio. He is best known for his 1949 novel, “Shane.”

Nov. 19, 1910 – English race car driver, author, and
explorer Adrian Conan Doyle was born in the United Kingdom. He was the youngest
son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the fictional character Sherlock
Holmes.

Nov. 19, 1911 – The Conecuh Record reported that on this day
T.W. Baggett shot and killed J.A. Green at Castleberry, Ala. R.E. Baggett was
also slightly injured, and it was said that T.W. Baggett shot in self defense.

Nov. 19, 1917 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Ephraim F.
McCurley of Opp, Ala. “died from disease.”

Nov. 19, 1919 – Effie beat Mt. Zion, 22-8, during a
basketball game that was played during a Community Fair at Mt. Zion, Ala.

Nov. 19, 1921 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Roy
Campanella was born in Philadelphia, Pa. He played his entire career,
1948-1957, for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in
1969.

Nov. 19, 1940 – During a regular drill of Evergreen,
Alabama’s National Guard unit on this night, 2nd Lt. John C. Holman was elected
first lieutenant in the place of Homer F. Kindig, who had recently resigned.

Nov. 19, 1942 – Poet Sharon Olds was born in San Francisco,
Calif.

Nov. 19, 1944 – Herbert Cardwell of Conecuh County, Ala. was
wounded in France and was taken to a hospital in England to recover.

Nov. 19, 1947 – The murder trial against Elbert J. Hoomes
began in Evergreen, Ala. Hoomes was charged with first-degree murder in
connection with the killing of his son-in-law, Joe Greer in Brewton in December
1944. The trial was moved to Evergreen from Escambia County to help ensure that
Hoomes received a fair trial. Judge A.E. Gamble of Greenville was the presiding
judge, and Hoomes was represented by Hybart & Horne. Circuit Solicitor A.H.
Elliott, County Solicitor Broox Garrett of Brewton and R.E.L. Cope of Union
Springs were in charge of the prosecution. The case was of wide interest in
Escambia County and a large number of Escambia County citizens came to
Evergreen to observe the trial.

Nov. 19, 1949 – The Airways
Communication and Weather reporting station at the Evergreen (Ala.) Airport
began operations.

Nov. 19, 1961 - Michael Clark Rockefeller, 23, the fifth
child of New York Governor Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, disappeared during an
expedition in the Asmat region of southwestern Netherlands New Guinea.

Nov. 19, 1966 - In college football, first-ranked Notre Dame
and second-ranked Michigan State played to a 10-10 tie at Spartan Stadium.

Nov. 19, 1969 – Singer-songwriter Alice Peacock was born in
White Bear Lake, Minnesota. She has recorded five independent albums and an
album released by Aware/Columbia Records (2002). Several of her songs have been
featured in films, commercials, and television.

Nov. 19, 1970 – The Evergreen Courant reported that U.S.
Navy Airman Michael Burt, a graduate of Lyeffion High School, had been
commended by his commanding officer for for “outstanding performance of duty
while attached to and serving in USS Hancock (CVA-19) as Ground Support
Equipment Petty Officer from 1 September 1969 to 26 March 1970 during combat
operations against the enemy” in Vietnam.

Nov. 19, 1976 – American businessman Jack Dorsey, who
co-founded Twitter, was born in St. Louis, Mo.

Nov. 19, 1977 – The Conecuh County Branch of the NAACP
celebrated “Clint Jackson Day” in Evergreen, Ala. in honor of Olympic boxer
Clint Jackson, who fought on behalf of the U.S. in the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Nov. 19, 1979 - Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros signed a
four-year contract for $4.5 million. At the time, Ryan was the highest paid
player in Major League Baseball.

Nov. 19, 1980 - Arvin Industries’ Monroeville, Ala. plant
manager T.I. Sparks announced that the plant would cease production on Dec. 19.
Sparks attributed the closing to the high cost of transporting the plant’s
products to Indiana, the sagging condition of the automotive replacement parts
industry and the fact that the plant was not selling what it was costing
according to the company’s cost-accounting system. Built in 1966 and expanded
twice, the plant made automotive exhaust systems and employed between 200 and
300 people at its peak.

Nov. 19, 1984 - Dwight Gooden, 20-year-old, of the New York
Mets, became the youngest Major League pitcher to be named Rookie of the Year
in the National League.

Nov. 19, 1993 - Nirvana recorded an MTV unplugged concert in
New York.